Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to head an empowered group to make Mumbai a global commercial hub

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to head an empowered group to make Mumbai a global commercial hub.

Fadnavis floated this idea at the CMs’ conference chaired by Modi in New Delhi on Sunday. “I urged the PM to set up a committee under his chairmanship to fast-track infra projects in Mumbai,” CM told HT in a text message.

The CM said the PM-headed group should meet every six months to ensure that Central ministries such as ports, airports, railways and state agencies such as Mumbai’s civic body planning authority MMRDA and others work together to provide infrastructure — road, trans-harbour link, metro — to make Mumbai a world class city by 2019.

Fadnavis also appealed to make environmental laws such as the coastal regulatory zones and eco-sensitive zone flexible for big-ticket infrastructure projects.

He asked to create a frame work where economic activity is not hampered by various laws.

The CM has, on his agenda, a make-over plan for the city in which he wants his office to have a special officer on duty to coordinate with all the agencies concerned.

He is looking forward to the Centre to help the state construct mega infrastructure projects such as sea/trans-harbour links.

Fadnavis also supported the ideas of replacing the Planning Commission with a National Development and Reforms Commission. He said the agency should also meet at a regional level every three months, headed by the PM and CMs (western, southern, northern, eastern, north-east regions).

“This should be about problem solving, taking up regional issues such as central laws like coastal regulations, eco-sensitive zones, which come in the way of economic growth and employment creation,” he said at the meeting.